Recent advances in surgical procedures have involved the use of a trocar to minimize the size of incisions and the trauma of conventional surgery. A trocar, as known in the field, is a thin walled tubular member which is inserted through an incision in the skin into the area of a patient's body to be scanned or undergo a surgical procedure. The trocar is inserted into the body by means of a surgical knife or other instrument extendable through the trocar to create an incision with the trocar following the cutting implement through the incision. The surgeon places the trocar the desired depth into the body cavity and withdraws the cutting implement from within the tubular trocar and the appropriate surgical instrument is then inserted through the trocar. Thus, after implanting the trocar into the body cavity, it forms a housing for the insertion of various surgical instruments, including instruments for incision, evacuation, and endoscopy. Several trocars may be used in combination during a surgical procedure to avoid the need for a large and traumatic incision in the patient's body.
The outer end of the trocar is typically connected to a valving device, which permits the introduction of gas through the trocar into the body cavity to distend the cavity and facilitate the surgical procedure.
It is apparent that various problems may be encountered in the use of a trocar, such as described, to facilitate surgical procedures. For example, it is often desirable for the surgeon to have the trocar remain in proper position within the patient without the need to manually hold it in place. This frees the surgeon's hand so that the surgeon may direct attention to other trocars or other surgical needs. In addition, since it is common to distend the body cavity by the introduction of gas under pressure to provide the necessary space to perform the surgical procedure; it would be desirable to provide some gas sealing to prevent, or at least minimize, the escape of the gas around the incision through which the trocar is inserted. It is also important to provide sufficient flexibility in the trocar support to enable the trocar, and the surgical implements inserted therethrough, to be manipulated to a sufficient extent so that the required surgical procedure can be conducted and instruments can be changed without removing the trocar from the body.
The present invention, provides a trocar support which enables a trocar to be used for surgical procedures in an advantageous manner.